For three-plus hours every Monday night, the entire sports world turns on their TV and watches the final game of the week. Each and every Charger player has a special memory of watching the game growing up, whether it be spent watching with their old man or hanging out with friends. That’s what makes playing in it so special.

“You grew up watching Monday Night Football,” said Philip Rivers. “Back then RedZone or Direct TV didn’t exist, so you didn’t have the chance to watch any game you wanted on Sundays. But Monday night, you always knew who was playing. It was fun to watch as a kid. I remember coming home from school, going to practice and then sitting down to watch the game. So it’s always exciting to now get a chance to be playing in that game that all these kids nowadays are watching.”

Malcom Floyd agreed with his quarterback, saying he has flashbacks to watching games as a kid every time he’s out on the field just before kickoff.

“When I’m out there and they play that song or do the little intro, it gets my heart pumping and my adrenaline going,” he said. “I remember being younger watching the game every week, so it makes it special to be able to be a part of it.”

The players relish the opportunity to play in front of the entire country. All eyes are on them, and they want to make sure they put on a show for the entire football world.

“Everybody’s watching,” said Donald Butler. “Everybody’s watching, and the stage doesn’t get any bigger than that. It’s the closest you can get to a playoff type atmosphere. So I definitely want to go out there and perform as best I can.”

This week’s game is extra special as it is a key division game against the rival Denver Broncos.

“It adds to the excitement,” said Rivers. “It being a division game is what makes it most intense, and the fact it is on Monday night adds to it. But this is a key game for us against a good division team, so it will be exciting.”

Despite the hoopla that surrounds a Monday Night Football game, the Chargers know they’ve got to keep their emotions in check. Once that whistle blows, they will play like it is a regular Sunday game and tune out the ambient hype that surrounds them.

“When you’re in the game, you’re aware of all the stuff going on in primetime, but you try to block it out,” said Ronnie Brown. “You want to keep your mind clear and not get caught up in all that’s going on. If you don’t, you’ll lose a little bit of focus and you can’t do that. So you have to treat it like any other game once that ball is kicked off.” Read